Muhammad Ali's wife said the boxing great is still a "big kid" who enjoys his birthday parties.

Muhammad loves parties that are centered around him. Nothing has changed. He's still a big kid in that area. He loves birthdays, Lonnie Ali said.

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The three-time heavyweight boxing champion will celebrate a milestone birthday next Tuesday when he turns 70. Ali will be surrounded by friends who are gathering Saturday evening for a birthday party at the Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville.

Lonnie Ali

The Ali legacy is enormous. When you think about Muhammad's life and all that he's accomplished, it's a very large canvas and a very large footprint, Lonnie Ali said.

Lonnie Ali, said it's the first of five parties for over the next couple of months. Lonnie Ali said the champ will be surrounded by friends and people who have been fixtures in his life, including his trainer, Angelo Dundee. The affair is doubling as a $1,000 per person fundraiser for the center.

He's glad he's here to turn 70, but he wants to be reassured that he doesn't look 70. He's still Muhammad, Lonnie Ali said.